Quick acting spearable buckle with toggle takeup and releasable lock



Aug. 29, 1961 F. DAVIS 2,997,761

QUICK ACTING SEPARABLE BUCKLE WITH TOGGLE TAKEUP AND RELEASABLE LOCK Filed May 10, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. FRANK L. DAv/ 5 BY I @ H AT7:O/?/VEY g- 1961 F. L. DAVIS 2,997,761

QUICK ACTING SEPARABLE BUCKLE WITH TOGGLE TAKEUP AND RELEASABLE LOCK Filed May 10, 1960 28heets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FRANK L. DAV/5 AT T OR/VE Y United States Patent QUICK ACTING SEPARABLE BUCKLE WITH TOG- GLE TAKEUP AND RELEASABLE LOCK Frank L. Davis, 129-07 7th Ave., College Point, N.Y. Filed May 10, 1960, Ser. No. 28,147 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-68) The invention herein disclosed relates to cargo tiedown equipment and particularly to the buckle mechanisms for securing the webbing used on such tiedowns.

Objects of the invention are to provide a buckle of simple substantial structure which can be readily coupled and uncoupled, in which the web may be quickly and easily adjusted to take up slack and then be tensioned to remove all slack and finally be releasably locked in that condition.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide such a buckle mechanism which will hold the load properly but which when required may be quickly unlocked and if necessary readjusted and tensioned and be restored to the locked condition.

These and other desirable objects are accomplished in the present invention by certain novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts, all as hereinafter disclosed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and covered in the annexed claim.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrate a present practical embodiment of the invention. Structure however may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 in the drawings is a side elevation of the buckle as in use, in the closed, tensioned and locked condition, the webbing being shown broken away.

FIG. 2 is a plan View of the same on a larger scale.

FIG. 3 is a broken sectional view on substantially the plane of line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the buckle structure.

FIG. 5 is a broken side elevation illustrating the toggle tensioning action.

FIG. 6 is a composite perspective view of the two buckle parts in separated relation.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on substantially the plane of line 7-7 of FIG. 3, showing the latch for securing the combined toggle and handle lever in closed relation.

In FIG. 1 the two separable parts of the buckle are shown connected with two lengths of webbing 10 and 11, the first length terminating in loop 12 caught about a pin 13 on one member of the buckle and the other length looped about a clamp bar 14 slidingly guided in inclined slots 15 in the other member and held against a cross bar '16 in the end of that member.

The holding action of this clamp bar is similar to that in slide buckle Patent 2,743,497 of May 1, 1956, except for the fact that the bar in the present case slides on an angle offset from the center of the stationary clamping bar 16 to gain a more eifective hold on the web.

The first, toggle carrying member of the buckle is shown as made up of side bars 17 secured in spaced parallel relation by cross pin 13 at one end and by a cross pin 18 at the opposite end, providing a rigid frame on which a toggle, handle and locking lever is pivotally mounted.

This element combining the functions of toggle, handle for actuating the toggle and lock for securing the toggle in closed relation is shown as a single one-piece lever 19 shaped as a handle having downstruck flanges 20 at the inner end of sufficient length to serve as a toggle and connected at the inner ends by a cross pin 21 forming a 2,997,761 Patented Aug. 29, 1961 fulcrum and pivotally engaged at the outer ends at 22 over the cross pin 18 at the inner end of the rigid frame attached to web 10.

The other terminal member of the buckle carrying the adjustable takeup clamp is shown as made up of parallel side bars 23 secured in spaced apart relation by cross bars or pins 24, 25 at opposite ends and at intermediate points by cross bars or pins 26, 27.

At the inner end the side bars 23 of this rigid frame are notched into hook forming recesses 28 to receive the fulcrum pin 21 of the handle lever and notched at 29 in position to receive the pivot pin 22.

When the two frames forming the separable parts of the buckle are connected by engagement of the fulcrum pin 21 in the fulcrum notches 2 8 of the other frame member and the hand lever 19 is rocked from the FIG. 5 position to close the toggle, as in FIG. 3, the handle will closely overlie the second frame member and may be secured in that relation by a simple form of latch mechanism.

FIG. 7 shows this latch mechanism as comprising a latch hook 30 pivoted at 31 on the cross bar 27 in position to project up through anopening 32 in the handle and engage over the top of the handle under pressure provided by the spring 33.

The upper, exposed end of the latch hook is shown formed as an inclined cam 34 to be forced back by the lowering handle and to form a thumb piece by which the latch may be released.

The web clamping slide 14 is shown as having exposed ends projecting beyond the side plates 23 providing finger grips 35 by which this clamp bar may be shifted to release the web 11 from held engagement against the stationary clamp bar 16. With the clamp thus released the webbing may be adjusted to enable the coupling of the two frame members together as in FIG. 5. In this coupled relation the web may be pulled through the clam-p to take up slack, after which the handle may be rocked downward from the FIG. 5 position to the closed FIG. 1 position, thus tensioning the webbing and automatically locking the parts by coaction of the spring latch 30 with the handle.

The two frames constituting the separable elements of the buckle may be made up of sheet metal and rod stock and be light in weight but amply strong to carry all tiedown loads.

Compactness is effected by having the two frames fold together into substantially the same plane, this being accomplished by forming the side bars 17 of the toggle frame with inclined offsets 36 which spread this frame sufliciently to clear the leverage extensions 20 and pass down over the end of the clamp carrying frame as shown in FIG. 2.

In the fully closed position illustrated in FIG. 3 the toggle has passed beyond the dead center position so there may be no load on the latch leaving it in condition to be quickly released in case of emergency or other need.

In addition to locking the buckle in the tensioned service condition the latch serves as means for holding the two parts of the buckle in their coupled relation preventing accidental detachment or loss of one part when the buckle is separated from one or both of the webs.

What is claimed is:

A slack takeup, toggle tensioned automatic locking separable buckle for cargo tiedown purposes, comprising a frame having spaced parallel side bars connected at one end by a transverse abutment and having slots adjacent said abutment and a clamp bar sliding in said slots toward and away from said abutment for clamping or releasing a web wrapped about said clamp bar, said side bars having pairs of opposed holding notches in spaced relation in the edges of the same adjacent the opposite end of said bars, a toggle lever having spaced parallel side flanges disposed at the outer sides of said side bars, a fulcrum pin connecting the ends of said side flanges and removably engageable in one pair of the notches in said side bars, a pivot pin connecting said side flanges and spaced from said fulcrum pin and engageable in a second pair of said opposed notches when said toggle lever is pivoted on said fulcrum pin into position overlying said base frame, said toggle lever having a handle extension overstanding said sliding clamp bar when the toggle lever is in the overstanding position described, links connected with said pivot pin and provided with means for attachment of the end of a web thereto and a spring pressed latch mounted on said frame in position for engagement with said handle extension when said handle extension is positioned in the overstanding relation mentioned and said handle extension having an opening located for projection of the spring latch therethrough into holding engagement over the outer face of the handle extension and said latch having an inclined cam configuration on the exposed end of the same engageable by the handle extension in the lowering of the same into the overstanding position and providing a thumb piece by which the latch may be released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,097,055 Bender Oct. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 66,527 Switzerland Nov. 10, 1913 789,992 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1955 

